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11 Apr 2026, 14:53
Cardano Hard Fork Approaching: Here’s Latest Update
Preparations for Cardano's intra-era hard fork to Protocol Version 11 continue to gain steam.
10 Apr 2026, 14:00
Bitcoin May Avoid Immediate Quantum Upgrade With New Workaround: Study
A Bitcoin transaction that costs $75 to $150 in GPU compute is not built for daily use, but it may still matter. StarkWare chief product officer Avihu Levy has put forward a scheme called Quantum Safe Bitcoin , or QSB, that he says could make new BTC transfers resistant to quantum attacks without changing the Bitcoin protocol. The proposal is designed to work even against a large quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm. A Workaround Inside Bitcoin’s Existing Rules Levy’s plan stays within the crypto’s current legacy script limits and does not require a soft fork. Instead of relying on elliptic curve math, QSB swaps in a hash-to-signature puzzle. In simple terms, the sender must find an input whose hash output happens to look like a valid ECDSA signature, a process that depends on brute-force work rather than the kind of math quantum computers are expected to break. That makes the scheme unusual. It does not try to rebuild Bitcoin from the ground up. It tries to bolt on a narrow shield using rules that already exist. The researchers describe it as a temporary answer while the bigger question of its long-term quantum defense remains unsettled. Praise, Pushback And A Narrow Use Case StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson called the work “huge” and said it essentially makes Bitcoin quantum-safe today . But not everyone agrees with that framing. Bitcoin ESG specialist Daniel Batten said the claim goes too far because the paper does not address exposed public keys or dormant wallets. He pointed to an estimated 1.7 million BTC sitting in early P2PK addresses that could be vulnerable if a quantum computer becomes powerful enough to crack them. The new scheme also comes with a sharp limit on who might use it. According to the proposal, it is more complex than a standard BTC transaction and only makes sense for large transfers. The reported compute cost makes it a poor fit for routine payments. THIS IS HUGE. Bitcoin is Quantum-Safe TODAY. Even if a quantum computer appeared, one that breaks the conventional Bitcion signatures, it shows a practical way to create safe Bitcoin transactions. WITH NO CHANGE TO BITCOIN PROTOCOL!!! https://t.co/ireGc3ai7W — Eli Ben-Sasson | Starknet.io (@EliBenSasson) April 9, 2026 A Temporary Fix, Not The Final Answer The debate around quantum risk has already split the Bitcoin community. Some argue for leaving Bitcoin unchanged to preserve its original design. Others want vulnerable coins frozen or burned. A separate group wants the protocol upgraded to support quantum-safe signatures. Levy’s proposal lands in the middle of that fight, giving users a last-resort option while skipping the need for network-wide consensus. The researchers still say protocol-level changes are the better long-term path. They also acknowledged that the QSB approach is non-standard, does not scale to all users, and does not cover use cases such as the Lightning Network. The timing of the paper matters too. Google published research in March that added fresh pressure to the debate, and Lightning Labs chief technology officer Olaoluwa Osuntokun followed with a quantum fallback prototype on Wednesday. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from TradingView
10 Apr 2026, 12:24
A Developer Just Built Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Without Changing a Single Line of the Protocol: Is This the Fix BTC?
Researcher Avihu Levy published a working implementation of Quantum Safe Bitcoin on April 9, 2026 – no protocol change required. The scheme operates entirely within Bitcoin’s existing script constraints, making it available to any user willing to absorb the compute cost today. Bitcoin’s governance culture makes a Bitcoin soft fork extraordinarily difficult to coordinate. BIP-360, which Levy co-authored and which was merged into Bitcoin’s official repository in February 2026, laid out a quantum-resistant address standard, but it requires protocol-level consensus that could take years to materialize. Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Transactions Without Softforks https://t.co/1lx5waX9VV pic.twitter.com/Ni7pA6dEsC — Avihu Levy (@avihu28) April 9, 2026 Quantum Safe Bitcoin sidesteps that bottleneck entirely. It’s not a theoretical workaround; Levy shipped GPU-accelerated CUDA code, Python pipelines, and complete Bitcoin scripts alongside the academic paper. How QSB Actually Works – Hash Puzzles, Not Elliptic Curves Standard Bitcoin transactions rely on ECDSA signatures over the secp256k1 curve. Shor’s algorithm can compute discrete logarithms efficiently, meaning a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could forge those signatures and drain any wallet with an exposed public key. Post-quantum cryptography addresses this – but every known implementation requires larger signatures and new opcodes, which means a soft fork. Levy’s approach cuts the elliptic curve dependency at the root. The scheme, built on Binohash (Robin Linus, 2026), replaces the standard signature verification with a hash-to-signature puzzle. The Bitcoin script hashes a transaction-bound public key via OP_RIPEMD160 and interprets the resulting 20-byte output as a DER-encoded ECDSA signature. A random 20-byte string satisfies DER structural constraints with probability roughly 2 −46 – that’s approximately one in 70 trillion attempts – which defines the proof-of-work target. The critical distinction: this puzzle’s security rests entirely on RIPEMD-160’s preimage resistance, not on any elliptic curve assumption. Source: GitHub Shor’s algorithm attacks discrete logarithms. It does not break hash functions. That single architectural decision is what makes Quantum-Safe Bitcoin resistant to the quantum threat without touching the protocol. The construction works in three phases. First, transaction pinning: the prover searches over (sequence, locktime) parameter pairs until the recovered public key’s RIPEMD-160 hash produces a valid DER signature – approximately 2 46 work. Second, two digest rounds: for the pinned transaction, the prover searches over subsets of dummy signatures; each subset alters the scriptCode via FindAndDelete, producing a different sighash and a different recovered key. Find a subset whose recovered key hashes to a valid DER signature (~2 46 candidates per round). The total computational cost is $75–$150 per transaction on cloud GPUs. Zero-Knowledge Proofs and Dashlink enter the picture as an efficiency layer for proof verification. The QSB construction leverages post-quantum cryptography principles by anchoring security to hash-based assumptions – the same foundation underpinning ZK-friendly hash functions used in modern Zero-Knowledge Proofs. Dashlink’s role is to compress the verification burden so that proof validation stays within Bitcoin’s existing 10,000-byte script limit and 201-opcode ceiling. No new opcodes. No consensus change. The scheme is consensus-valid under rules Bitcoin already enforces. Bitcoin Hyper Targets Early Mover Upside Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) is currently in presale, targeting early-mover upside in the Bitcoin yield infrastructure layer – a sector drawing serious institutional attention as US spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $471.3 million in a single week . The presale has raised $32 million to date, with the current token price at $0.0093 and staking APY running at 86% annualized for early participants. The core technical differentiator: Bitcoin Hyper operates as a Bitcoin-native Layer 2 executing smart contracts with BTC as the settlement asset – bypassing the wrapped-token credit risk that plagues existing BTC DeFi infrastructure. That’s a specific, verifiable architecture claim in a space full of vague interoperability promises. Research Bitcoin Hyper here before the presale window closes. The post A Developer Just Built Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Without Changing a Single Line of the Protocol: Is This the Fix BTC? appeared first on Cryptonews .
10 Apr 2026, 10:55
Bitcoin Price Prediction: BTC is Quantum Safe, But You Need to Know This
Bitcoin price has been stable since yesterday, but a technical paper published this week may matter more to long-term BTC holders than any candlestick prediction. A StarkWare researcher has unveiled what he claims is the first method to make Bitcoin transactions quantum-resistant right now , on the live network, without touching a single line of the protocol. The catch? There’s always a catch. Avihu Levy’s scheme, dubbed Quantum Safe Bitcoin (QSB), replaces signature-based security with hash-based proofs. The system requires no soft fork, no miner signaling, and no activation timeline. Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Transactions Without Softforks https://t.co/1lx5waX9VV pic.twitter.com/Ni7pA6dEsC — Avihu Levy (@avihu28) April 9, 2026 It works entirely within Bitcoin’s existing consensus rules for legacy transactions today. That’s the headline. The fine print: every QSB transaction costs up to $200 and demands heavy off-chain GPU computation, making it an emergency fallback rather than a daily-use solution. It also contrasts sharply with BIP-360 , the formal quantum-resistance proposal merged into Bitcoin’s improvement repository in February, which carries no Core implementation and faces years of governance delay. With quantum risk now surfacing as a tangible near-term narrative, the question is what this means for BTC price momentum and where the real asymmetric opportunity sits heading into mid-2026. Discover: The best pre-launch token sales Bitcoin Price Prediction: $77,000 This Week? Bitcoin is holding the $71,000 line, with the 24-hour range reflecting a tug-of-war between macro headwinds and institutional demand. Spot ETF inflows have rebounded, delivering a +1.21% bounce on renewed institutional interest, while US CPI data prompted a counter-move of -0.81% as traders trimmed risk exposure. The 50-day EMA near $70,500 remains the pivotal battleground on the daily chart. BTC USD, TradingView Technically, the picture is mixed. The 4-hour moving average is sloping downward, signaling short-term bearish pressure. But the 200-day MA has been trending up since April 5, 2026, confirming the broader bull structure remains intact. RSI sits at a neutral, with 50% green days over the measured period, no extreme momentum in either direction. ETF flow data and any follow-on quantum narrative headlines are the two asymmetric catalysts for next week. For a deeper look at BTC’s technical setup, this price analysis covers complementary levels worth tracking. Discover: The best crypto to diversify your portfolio with Early-Mover Upside as Bitcoin Tests Key Resistance BTC at $71,000 sounds bullish, until you factor in that a move to $77,000 represents just under 10% upside from current levels for an asset already carrying a trillion-dollar market cap. For traders who’ve ridden the Bitcoin cycle and want early-stage exposure to the next infrastructure layer, the math on large-cap appreciation starts to look thin. LiquidChain ($LIQUID) is a Layer 3 infrastructure project positioning itself as the cross-chain liquidity layer, fusing Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana liquidity into a single execution environment. A new layer emerges. Only a few see it first. The future is LiquidChain ⟁ https://t.co/vqvBcdSj94 pic.twitter.com/R7ZeZ0NPGl — LiquidChain (@getliquidchain) March 24, 2026 The quantum conversation is relevant here: as BTC’s security model evolves and multi-chain complexity deepens, a unified infrastructure that lets developers deploy once and access all three ecosystems addresses a structural gap the market hasn’t fully priced. The presale has raised $650K at a current price of $0.01448 , and a 1650% APY staking rewards . Core features include a Unified Liquidity Layer, Single-Step Execution, Verifiable Settlement, and Deploy-Once Architecture. LiquidChain is approaching the $1M presale milestone , which historically marks the point where retail attention accelerates. Research LiquidChain before the next raise tier opens. The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: BTC is Quantum Safe, But You Need to Know This appeared first on Cryptonews .
10 Apr 2026, 10:19
Bitcoin Braces For Quantum Shock — Inside Two Radical New Rescue Plans
Multiple devs and founders have been talking publicly about concrete post‑quantum paths for Bitcoin. Two different proposals have caught the crypto world’s attention. Bitcoin’s Net-Watchers Start Building Their Blackwall The ticking clock marking 2029 as the possible “deadline” for quantum computers to be able to break Bitcoin and Ethereum’s cryptography has made devs roll up their sleaves and get to work. The recent spike of the Bitcoin quantum-panic or “quantum FUD” (fear, uncertainty and doubt) has moved on from the initial chaos that ensued following Google’s “doomsday” whitepaper to a race against an enemy that doesn’t yet exist. In the past days, two Bitcoin devs landed at different proposals aimed to protect Bitcoin from the future threat of quantum attacks. One of them consists in a “Taproot kill‑switch + zk‑proof recovery” path for existing UTXOs (Unspent Transaction Outputs). The other is a QSB (Quantum Safe Bitcoin), a transaction‑level construction that makes individual spends quantum‑safe today without any soft fork (rule changes that stay compatible with old software). Both approaches assume Shor‑style quantum computers (quantum computers based on Shor’s algorithm) will nuke the math behind Bitcoin’s current signatures (ECDSA/Schnorr), but they differ on how much of Bitcoin needs to change: consensus rules vs user‑level tooling. Let’s examine both proposals closely. Solution #1 The first solution comes from Olaoluwa Osuntokun, co‑founder and CTO of Lightning Labs (the main company building the Lightning Network implementation) and Tim Ruffing, co‑author and contributor on Schnorr/Taproot, multisignature schemes like MuSig2 and a maintainer of Bitcoin’s core elliptic‑curve library. On a post made on the social media X on April 8, Osuntokun resurfaced Ruffing’s July 2025 whitepaper on Bitcoin’s post-quantum security in order to propose a solution for one of the problems presented in the paper: “to create a variant of seed-lifting that doesn’t reveal the wallet’s master secret”. He called this “zk-STARK proof”. in the face of quantum adversary, a commonly discussed emergency soft fork for Bitcoin would be to disable the Taproot keyspend path ( https://t.co/Gzx8NVui3N ), effectively turning it into something that resembling BIP-360 assuming an existing precautionary soft-fork to add a pq… — Olaoluwa Osuntokun (@roasbeef) April 8, 2026 In plain language, Osuntokun’s tool creates a special cryptographic proof (the zk‑STARK) that lets you prove you really have the original wallet secret behind a given Taproot address, and that you used the standard wallet rules to get from that secret to this address. They crucial aspect of the zk-STARK proof is that it does this without ever revealing the secret itself, or any private keys, to anyone. If, in the future, Bitcoin does a quantum‑defense soft fork that disables normal key‑based spends, many BIP‑86 Taproot wallets could be stuck and unable to move coins. With this proof, those users get an extra “escape hatch”: they can prove ownership of their Taproot coins via the seed‑derivation proof and move funds in a new, quantum‑safe way, even though the old key‑spend path is turned off. He discussed all the technicalities behind this on the Bitcoin dev mailing list . The solution has found acceptance, and it’s been generally received very well in the crypto community. Looks like this potentially solves the thorniest issue around quantum proofing Bitcoin: confiscation of coins. A PQ soft fork like BIP360 effectively “confiscates” coins by permanently disabling spends from certain “vulnerable” wallets where public keys have been revealed.… https://t.co/wV49BIXmx2 — Vijay Selvam (@VijaySelvam) April 9, 2026 Solution #2 The second, and more polemic solution, comes from Avihu Mordechai Levy, a cryptography engineer at StarkWare who works on zero‑knowledge proofs and STARKs. His whitepaper, published yesterday , shows how to make individual Bitcoin transactions quantum‑safe today, using Lamport‑style one‑time signatures plus a “hash‑to‑signature” proof‑of‑work puzzle, with zero changes to Bitcoin’s base protocol. Quantum-Safe Bitcoin Transactions Without Softforks https://t.co/1lx5waX9VV pic.twitter.com/Ni7pA6dEsC — Avihu Levy (@avihu28) April 9, 2026 QSB replaces the old signature‑size PoW (which quantum attacks could completely break by finding tiny ECDSA r‑values) with a RIPEMD‑160‑based puzzle that only relies on hash pre‑image resistance, which is merely weakened, not destroyed, by Grover’s algorithm (quantum tech). Again in plain language, what QSB does is it throws away the old “make the signature tiny” proof‑of‑work trick, because a strong quantum computer could cheat that by exploiting the elliptic‑curve math. Instead, QSB uses a new puzzle built on the RIPEMD‑160 hash function. Breaking a hash like that is extremely hard, even with a quantum computer. QSB fits in legacy script limits and gives around 118‑bit post‑quantum pre‑image security. However, it costs hundreds of dollars in off‑chain GPU work per transaction and requires non‑standard bare scripts mined via private relay services. This is why many are calling QSB a “last resort” or even a “whale-grade band-aid”. I’m not claiming this isn’t grossly inefficient, nor that it wouldn’t make sense to eventually improve the protocol layer if a cleaner solution emerges. My point is simply that it’s false to say this kind of whale-grade band-aid doesn’t already exist at the current protocol… — Coinjoined Chris (@coinjoined) April 10, 2026 A Philosophical Split The community is no longer arguing if quantum breaks ECDSA/Schnorr, but how to stage an orderly migration. Let’s remember that the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto himself, assured in 2010 that a gradual transition to post-quantum, stronger technology, was possible for Bitcoin. Taproot‑based recovery tries to protect the entire UTXO set with minimal value destruction, whereas some prominent voices still argue non‑migrated coins should simply expire rather than be “rescue” in weird ways, to preserve Bitcoin’s monetary story. Cover image from Perplexity. BTCUSD chart from Tradingview.
10 Apr 2026, 04:00
Quantum Bitcoin Defense: StarkWare’s Revolutionary QSB Transactions Shield BTC Without Soft Fork
BitcoinWorld Quantum Bitcoin Defense: StarkWare’s Revolutionary QSB Transactions Shield BTC Without Soft Fork In a groundbreaking development for cryptocurrency security, StarkWare Chief Product Officer Avihu Levy has unveiled a revolutionary transaction method that could defend Bitcoin against quantum attacks without requiring the contentious and complex process of a soft fork. This quantum Bitcoin defense technology, revealed in a new technical paper, addresses one of the most significant theoretical threats facing blockchain networks as quantum computing advances accelerate globally. Understanding the Quantum Threat to Bitcoin Quantum computers pose a fundamental challenge to current cryptographic systems. Traditional computers would need thousands of years to break Bitcoin’s elliptic curve cryptography. However, quantum computers running Shor’s algorithm could theoretically accomplish this task in hours or days. This vulnerability represents what security experts call a “cryptographic time bomb” for blockchain networks. The quantum threat specifically targets Bitcoin’s public-key cryptography. When users create transactions, they reveal their public keys. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could use these public keys to derive private keys, enabling attackers to steal funds. Current estimates suggest quantum computers with 1,500-2,000 logical qubits could break Bitcoin’s encryption, with some projections indicating this capability might emerge within the next decade. QSB Transactions: A Technical Breakthrough Avihu Levy’s proposed solution, called QSB (Quantum-Secure Bitcoin) transactions, represents a significant innovation in post-quantum cryptography. The method cleverly upgrades Bitcoin’s existing structure without requiring consensus changes. QSB transactions work by enhancing the current system that allows for limited transaction lookups within Bitcoin Script. The technical paper details how QSB transactions provide approximately 118 bits of pre-image resistance. This security level remains robust even in environments running Shor’s algorithm. The approach makes it computationally intensive for quantum computers to reverse-engineer original data from hash values. Importantly, the system maintains backward compatibility while offering quantum resistance. The No-Soft-Fork Advantage Traditional approaches to quantum security typically require protocol-level changes through soft forks or hard forks. These processes involve complex coordination among developers, miners, and node operators. Consensus changes often face significant resistance and can take years to implement. The 2017 SegWit implementation demonstrated how contentious such changes can become within the Bitcoin community. QSB transactions bypass this political and technical hurdle entirely. Users can adopt the quantum-resistant method individually without requiring network-wide consensus. This individual adoption model mirrors how technologies like Taproot gained gradual acceptance. The approach allows for organic migration to quantum security as users recognize the growing threat. Comparative Analysis: Quantum Defense Approaches Method Consensus Required Implementation Time Security Level Backward Compatibility QSB Transactions No Immediate 118-bit resistance Full Soft Fork Upgrade Yes 1-3 years Variable Partial Hard Fork Yes 2-5 years Variable None Layer-2 Solutions No 6-18 months Dependent on base layer Most Real-World Implications and Timeline The quantum computing race has accelerated significantly in recent years. Major technology companies and governments have invested billions in quantum research. China’s quantum research initiatives, Google’s quantum supremacy claims, and IBM’s quantum roadmap all indicate rapid progress. Most experts now believe practical quantum attacks on cryptography could emerge between 2030 and 2040. Bitcoin’s current market capitalization exceeds $1 trillion, making it a prime target for quantum attacks. The network processes billions of dollars in transactions daily. A successful quantum attack could undermine trust in the entire cryptocurrency ecosystem. This makes preemptive quantum defense not just theoretical but economically essential. QSB transactions offer several practical advantages: Gradual adoption : Users can transition at their own pace No miner coordination : Eliminates mining pool politics Reduced risk : Avoids contentious hard fork scenarios Cost efficiency : No need for expensive network upgrades Expert Perspectives on Quantum Preparedness Cryptography experts have long warned about quantum threats. Dr. Michele Mosca, co-founder of the Institute for Quantum Computing, famously stated that there’s a “one in seven chance” that fundamental public-key cryptography will be broken by quantum computers by 2026, and a “one in two chance” by 2031. These probabilities have only increased with recent quantum advancements. Blockchain security researchers note that Bitcoin’s design presents unique quantum vulnerabilities. Unlike some newer cryptocurrencies built with quantum resistance in mind, Bitcoin’s architecture dates to 2009. This makes quantum defense particularly challenging without disrupting the network’s fundamental operations. QSB transactions address this challenge through their non-invasive approach. Technical Implementation and User Adoption The QSB transaction method operates within Bitcoin’s existing script limitations. It enhances the current structure for transaction lookups without exceeding script size limits. This technical elegance means wallet developers can implement the solution through software updates rather than protocol changes. Adoption would likely follow a pattern similar to SegWit or Taproot adoption. Early adopters would include security-conscious institutional investors and long-term holders. Mainstream wallet providers would gradually add support as user demand increases. The transition could be nearly invisible to average users, happening automatically through wallet software updates. Key implementation steps include: Wallet software updates to generate QSB-compatible addresses Education for users about quantum security benefits Integration with existing transaction workflows Testing and auditing by security researchers Conclusion StarkWare’s QSB transaction method represents a significant advancement in quantum Bitcoin defense. By providing robust protection against quantum attacks without requiring a soft fork, this approach offers a practical path forward for securing the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency. As quantum computing continues its rapid advancement, such preemptive security measures become increasingly vital. The quantum Bitcoin defense technology developed by Avihu Levy and the StarkWare team could play a crucial role in preserving Bitcoin’s security and value in the coming quantum era. FAQs Q1: What makes quantum computers a threat to Bitcoin? Quantum computers running Shor’s algorithm could theoretically break the elliptic curve cryptography that secures Bitcoin transactions. This would allow attackers to derive private keys from public keys, potentially enabling theft of funds from vulnerable addresses. Q2: How do QSB transactions differ from other quantum defense proposals? Unlike most quantum defense proposals that require network-wide consensus changes through soft or hard forks, QSB transactions work within Bitcoin’s existing protocol. Users can adopt them individually without requiring coordination with miners or other network participants. Q3: When might quantum attacks on Bitcoin become practical? Most experts estimate practical quantum attacks could emerge between 2030 and 2040, though some conservative estimates extend this timeline. The exact timing depends on breakthroughs in quantum error correction and qubit stability. Q4: Do users need to take immediate action to protect their Bitcoin? While immediate action isn’t necessary for most users, those holding significant amounts long-term should monitor quantum security developments. As QSB transactions and similar solutions become available in wallet software, adopting them early provides additional security margins. Q5: How does the 118-bit pre-image resistance protect against quantum attacks? This security level means that even with a quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm, reversing cryptographic hashes to find original data would require immense computational resources. The 118-bit resistance provides a substantial security margin against foreseeable quantum capabilities. This post Quantum Bitcoin Defense: StarkWare’s Revolutionary QSB Transactions Shield BTC Without Soft Fork first appeared on BitcoinWorld .
